Wimbledon 2024: Emma Raducanu Turns Brutally Honest on Expectations Ahead of Tough First-Round Battle

One step at a time! Emma Raducanu is perhaps one of the most dangerous unseeded players in Wimbledon this year. Yet the 21-year-old Brit wants to be cautious before her first match. Raducanu missed the Championships last year due to wrists and one ankle surgeries. Even this year, she opted to stay out of the French Open to keep herself fresh and ready for the grass-court swing. However, her expectations are quite minimal this time around at Wimbledon!

“If I get through my first round, I’d be over the moon,” Raducanu said about her hopes for Wimbledon. She will take on the 22nd seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships on Monday (July 1). They haven’t yet played against each other before. However, both of them have shown their potential this year. Raducanu (135) has reached two QFs and one SF this year, while Alexandrova (22) has reached one final and two SFs.

Speaking more about this match and her Russian opponent, Emma Raducanu said, “I think it’s a tough match. She’s seeded really well. It’s obviously going to be hard. I think that she’s got great weapons. On this surface, it only amplifies big weapons. I’m expecting a really difficult match. I think it’s a match where I’m actually the complete underdog. Because she’s a lot older, a lot more experienced, ranked a lot higher.”

A few weeks ago, former British number 1 Tim Henman said, “I definitely think they (Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter) both could be in the second week. It’s going to be interesting to see.” Like every other British tennis fan, the 49-year-old former tennis pro has high hopes surrounding Emma Raducanu and her British compatriot this year.

While Raducanu herself keeps hopes at bay, the Brit wants to see this as a “great opportunity to try to get a good scalp.” She wants to enjoy every moment on the grass.

“I’m very happy to be back here” – Emma Raducanu is back in Wimbledon!

Raducanu has been out of action for quite a while due to injuries. How does she feel making a comeback at the Wimbledon Championships after almost a year-long gap? “I’m very happy to be back here. I think I’ve missed this tournament so much. This year, coming back and practicing, it reminded me a lot more. I just feel very grateful to have the opportunity and the wild card to be able to compete here. I obviously have amazing memories from 2021. It’s an amazing place to be,” Emma Raducanu.

Raducanu reached the fourth round here in 2021, her best result. However, she was absent from the tournament in 2023. Elaborating more on her tough days, Raducanu said, “Last year, I was actually on the other side doing a lot of suite visits, hospitality. It was really hard because you would walk through the same player tunnel, see your peers going to practice, going to play their match. I think being on the other side just really stung.”

She admitted she didn’t really watch much tennis during that period; it didn’t settle well with her. However, after every sunset, there is a sunrise, and she is ready to have her dawn on the grass slam.